Catholic School Advantage Campaign Newsletter

Queridos amigos,

I am so happy to send you this first issue of our Catholic School Advantage (CSA) Campaign newsletter. So much has happened since Father John Jenkins, C.S.C., President of the University of Notre Dame, convoked the Task Force on the Participation of Latino Children and Families in Catholic Schools in 2008.

In fact, so much has happened that we have not found the time to keep you informed of the many initiatives, programs, and projects that have taken place since then. We are now committed to sending a quarterly e-newsletter that will highlight some of what is going on with the CSA Campaign. In it you will find updates on what we're doing, where we are, success stories, and links to other sites that may be of interest to you.

It would be difficult to detail all that has happened in the past four years, but the current landscape of Catholic schools in the U.S serves as both encouragement and a humble reminder of the work left to done. While the number of children in Catholic schools continues to be down, we signs of hope as the number and percentage of Latino children has increased. And although we have done a lot of work, there is still so much more to do. But that's okay, because a man's reach should exceed his grasp. Else, what's a heaven for?

Perhaps more than anything else, we have helped to begin a national conversation about this very critical issue. Rather than list the dozens of places where the CSA has been presented and where it is active, I would like to reference a comment that I heard once while sitting in a meeting. I was a visitor to the annual NCADDHM (National Catholic Association of Diocesan Directors of Hispanic Ministry) in Little Rock, Arkansas in June of 2011. At one of the sessions, the speaker said, "Notre Dame has successfully engaged an entire Church in the question of Latinos and Catholic Schools." The speaker did not know me nor did he know that someone from Notre Dame was present." So that's quite a compliment, as well as testament to the work we have done thus far.

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this. Please let me know if you have any questions, and please keep the CSA Campaign in your prayers. I promise to remember you often in my own inadequate prayers.

All best wishes and God's abundant blessings to you from Our Lady's University.

Gratefully,

Father Joe Corpora, C.S.C.